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When you’re a self-employed copywriter you need to understand how to market yourself.
Marketing yourself doesn’t just mean doing SEO and PPC campaigns, there are many other marketing strategies you can use that aren’t as expensive but still generate an excellent return on investment.
The copywriting and proofreading service marketing process is something that I’ve been thinking about, and I just had to share it with the world.
Why Copywriting and Proofreading Service is a Unique Business
It increases the professionalism of your business
Running a copywriting service shows customers that you are serious about your business because you want it to be presented in the best possible light. Having someone else proofread your writing also shows customers that you take pride in what you do by ensuring that there are no mistakes in what you have written. This enhances your reputation as a professional business person who cares about quality.
Potential for high profits
If you decide to provide copywriting and proofreading services online, there’s no limit on how many jobs you can accept at once. With a little bit of organization and time management, you could have dozens of clients at once — which means more profit potential than if you were working in an office setting.
Working on your schedule
Copywriting and proofreading jobs will come to you, so working at home allows you to be flexible about when you do your work.
Entertaining work
This is one of the most enjoyable ways to make money from home. Writing creatively is enjoyable, and being able to use your language skills in this way can be rewarding.
It’s completely portable
You could have a 9-5 job with set hours, but with a home-based business, you can decide when you work each day and how much time you put in each week. You don’t have to worry about commuting or getting stuck in traffic because your office is wherever you are. This means that as long as you have access to a computer and the internet, there’s no reason why you can’t run your business around other commitments like kids, family, or other jobs.
You don’t need any qualifications
The only “qualification” for working from home is discipline. If you can write, speak confidently, and are willing to learn new skills then there’s no reason why a home-based business won’t work for you.
Main Business Challenges
Preparing for the project
You’ll need to check all instructions from the client carefully. If there are any visuals, like screenshots or graphics, you’ll have to prepare them for use in the final version of your work. You’ll also need to make sure you have all necessary fonts and symbols available. You should have a backup plan in case some of them are missing or unusable in your work environment.
Dealing with difficult clients
There will always be clients who are hard to please. Some might nitpick over every word they read while others expect a perfect first draft without giving you any time to revise it.
Timekeeping/time management issues
Freelancers often have more work than they can handle, which means that they have to prioritize their tasks and set deadlines for themselves.
Moving from one task to another
This business can be difficult because it’s hard to balance all the different needs of your customers. There will be times when you will have to put off one job if an urgent client request comes through. To be able to juggle these requests, you need to make sure you have the right infrastructure in places such as a good communication system between yourself and your client so that you can work on their request immediately after completing the previous task.
Finding clients
When you start, you may not have much work lined up. That’s normal, but it can be very discouraging when a few weeks go by without any revenue coming in. Instead of sitting around and waiting, spend the time looking for new clients. Look on job boards, LinkedIn groups, and Twitter. Attend industry conferences and trade shows to meet new people. The more prospects you have, the better chance you have of getting some work!
Handling large volume
Sometimes, it’s possible to get a sudden burst of work that throws your whole schedule off track. If this happens often, it can have a big impact on your business’s success.
Handling invoicing and payments
Even if you don’t invoice on delivery, it can be very hard to keep track of what people owe you, particularly if they’re not great at paying promptly!
Setting prices
Pricing is a tricky subject. How much should you charge? What do people expect to pay? Do you allow for discounts?
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It uses your language skills.
- It helps you build your portfolio.
- It is not limited to any one particular field.
- You get paid per article.
Cons
- Juggling multiple clients at the same time.
- Balancing your workloads and projects at work, home, and in the office.
- Dealing with writers who give excuses for late delivery of a project or service that doesn’t meet your standards.
- Finding enough time to do quality work despite having too many projects and clients to handle.
- Getting back client payments for unpaid invoices on time and without hassle or stress.
- Keeping track of all the expenses incurred in running a business both for tax purposes and just so that you can keep track of how much money you really spend on supplies and other expenses.
- Picking up new skills like designing business cards, websites, ads and other promotional materials for your services.
- Keeping up with technology so that you can compete better with other businesses in providing better quality services.
Best Marketing Strategies
Take advantage of word-of-mouth referrals
Word-of-mouth referrals are still the best way to find new business for a copywriting and proofreading service. It is more important than any other online marketing strategy you employ.
How do you get word-of-mouth referrals?
The best way to get a word-of-mouth referral is to offer great service. Make sure that your clients are happy and are willing to refer you to their friends and colleagues. You can also get referrals by being an expert or having specialized knowledge in your field. If you can provide unique content, such as articles or blog posts, that people share with their friends and colleagues, and if you can build relationships through social media, then your potential for gaining new clients will increase exponentially.
Here are a few tips on how to make sure your word-of-mouth strategy is as effective as possible:
1) Make it easy for people to spread the word about your business.
2) Be personable. Be easy to talk to. Be accessible.
3) Be helpful. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Don’t “sell”– let customers learn about how great your services are for themselves!
Building your mailing list
One of the most important components of your business is having a strong customer base. To build a customer base, you need to be able to reach out to potential customers. The best way to do this is through email marketing.
As a copywriter and proofreader, you’ve got a huge advantage when it comes to building your mailing list. You know how to craft compelling copy that people want to read.
If you’re selling a service like copywriting or proofreading, you can use your mailing list to promote related services. Here are some ideas for doing that:
If your customers sign up for your mailing list, send them tips on copywriting. If they want to hire you to proofread their content, make sure you send them an email (or two) with tips on how to better organize and write their content.
Group together similar products and services into packages and promote them on a single email to your mailing list, including the “Buy all three” option. Or offer a discount if they buy all three. Create an autoresponder series of emails that show how each service is related. For example, if you provide copywriting services, you could create a series of emails showing how your writing service helps people with each of the following topics: website design; PDF creation; blog writing and management; press release creation; video creation and management; social media marketing; podcasting and product promotion.
Partner with influencers
When it comes to marketing your business, you have many options. But if you’re on a budget, working with influencers can be a great way to reach new customers.
Tapping into the power of social media influencers can help you promote your business, but it does have its risks. If you partner with the wrong influencer and choose the wrong campaign, it can reflect poorly on your brand.
Here are four ways to ensure you partner with influencers:
1. Understand why you need an influencer marketing strategy
Influencer marketing is a new way of branding your business. It’s about building relationships with industry leaders, social media stars, and key individuals in your niche who have a large following. These people can help give your business exposure by featuring you on their blog or social media page.
2. Determine who your perfect customer is
Who’s going to want to hear from your influencer? You need to determine who you want to reach out to and what value they’ll receive from your influencer’s campaign.
3. Make sure you’re choosing a relevant influencer
This is something many businesses overlook when deciding who they’d like to partner with for their next campaign. It’s important that your influencer’s followers are interested in what he or she has to say about your brand and that the message stays consistent with the values of your brand. After all, you don’t want someone promoting a product that doesn’t align with his or her own values.
4. Choose an appropriate platform for promotion
Certain platforms work better than others when promoting certain brands or services.
Use testimonials & case studies
Case studies and testimonials are two powerful copywriting and proofreading service marketing tools. By showcasing the benefits of a product, they help to convince potential customers that they need what you’re selling.
Testimonials
Testimonials are short, personal stories that highlight the positive results someone has achieved using a product or service. They utilize both an average person’s perspective and an expert’s insight. Testimonials are often given by satisfied customers, but can also come from industry experts and celebrities.
Testimonials for products and services can be obtained in a variety of ways:
– Ask customers to submit them voluntarily through surveys or email messages when they make a purchase.
– Ask current clients to talk about their experiences with you on your website, in your newsletters, or through social networks. Include videos, images, and audio clips when possible for added impact.
– Ask current clients to provide testimonials before the sale is made. Make sure it’s easy for them to do so by providing email addresses or forms where they can upload photos, video clips, or audio files. Some companies even create private online communities to support clients in their use of their products or services and get testimonials while they’re at it!
Case studies
Case studies are an incredibly powerful tool to help persuade prospects and clients to buy your product or service. The key is to make them as compelling as possible.
Target customers want to know that they can trust you and the product or service you are selling. Case studies can be used to show that you have a good reputation and that your business has supported other businesses in the past.
The following tips will help you create a persuasive case study for your business:
Include customer quotes – Use customer quotes as much as possible, showing them why they should choose to work with you rather than a competitor who is offering a similar service or product.
Use diagrams – Diagrams can help illustrate the process involved with using your service or product, making it easier for customers to understand how it works and why it might be useful for them.
Use statistics – Statistics can be used in your case study to show how effective your business has been in supporting other companies in their growth and development, and how many businesses you have helped in this way over the years.
Start with the end in mind – Before you begin writing, it’s important to ask yourself some questions about your business: What do you want your audience to take away from this study? What specific message do you want to send? Who are you hoping will read it and how will it help them?
Keep it conversational – Use simple language, and keep your sentences relatively short. Think about what you’d say if you were talking to one person in person – that’s the tone to aim for when writing case studies.
Invest in content marketing
Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to market your business and grow your audience. However, when you’re using it to promote your content writing/proofreading business, it can be a bit tricky to get right.
Here are some tips to help you make the most of your content marketing strategy:
1) Creating a content marketing strategy. This is important for many reasons, but having a plan in place will help you stay focused on your business goals and how to achieve them through content.
2) Set relevant goals. You need to know what you want out of your content strategy before you can start creating content. Are you looking for more leads? Do you want to increase sales or engagement? Having a clear goal will help you figure out where to start with your content creation.
3) Share something new. Content marketing gets stale very quickly if it’s all about the same thing. Instead of always blogging about one subject, try mixing it up and sharing a variety of helpful content that includes new topics and ideas. This will help you stand out from other businesses in your niche that are also doing content marketing.
4) Tell engaging stories. Stories are one of the best ways to connect with readers and get them invested in your service company.
5) Position yourself as an expert in your field. Create helpful guides that answer questions your audience is asking. Offer tips on how to do things, like solve a common problem that causes people to search for help online. The better you understand what your target customers need, the more success you will have reaching them through the right kind of content.
6) Build credibility and increase trust. Letting potential clients know that you’re a credible source of information makes them more likely to listen when you talk about your products or services. Add links back to relevant pages on your website so they can learn more about you or contact you with questions if they have them.
7) Add relevant videos. Videos are becoming more popular in content marketing because they help give your content more depth while also being entertaining. You could create videos using PowerPoint presentations, screen captures of the product or service in use, talking head video interviews of employees or customers, animated video, or even stop motion animation.
Promote your service to local businesses
If you offer a copywriting or proofreading service to local businesses, you have a good chance of getting repeat customers. The secret is to make your service easy for them to find, so they don’t have to go through the hassle of looking for someone else if they need your help again.
Selling your services to local businesses is a great way to work with small clients and ensure that you always have work. Tailoring your service to the needs of local business people will also make it easier for you to promote your services.
You’ll be able to tell your potential clients about the many benefits of working with you, such as:
– You’ll be able to give each of your clients’ individual attention and tailor your services specifically to their needs.
– You’ll be able to give each of your clients’ individual attention and tailor your services specifically to their needs.
– Being local means you can get to work faster than most other copywriters or proofreaders.
– Being local means you can get to work faster than most other copywriters or proofreaders.
– You’ll be available during normal working hours so if a client needs something urgently, you won’t have any excuses. – You’ll be available during normal working hours so if a client needs something urgently, you won’t have any excuses.
– Your low overheads mean that you can charge less than many national agencies and still make a profit. So it’s good news for both you and your clients!
Give your target customers perks
One of the most effective copywriting and proofreading service marketing strategies you can use is to give your target customers some kind of perk.
Using incentives to get people to take the desired action is one of the best ways to market your business. In fact, the sales funnel relies heavily on creating a sense of urgency and then giving prospects an incentive to act immediately.
With copywriting and proofreading service marketing, however, you’re not relying on a hard sell. You’re simply trying to persuade people that your services are worth their time and money. That means that you have to offer something that makes it worthwhile for them to try you out.
One way to do this is by offering special perks.
Here are some examples of how other businesses have used perks in their marketing:
E-mail delivery – When someone signs up for your copywriting and proofreading service’s e-mail list, you can send them a series of e-mails about something related to your business. For example, if you run an editing service, you could send e-mails about common grammar mistakes or things that can make a document more engaging. These tips aren’t promotional in nature, but they help show customers why they should hire your company instead of another editing firm.
Get on social media
I see lots of people using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms to promote their business.
Not only is this a quick and easy way to promote your business, but it’s also cost-effective.
Tried and tested ways of using social media as a copywriting and proofreading service marketing strategy include:
1. Using social media like a blog. Post content on your own website, then post links to that content on social media sites. For example, you could have a blog on your website with your own unique content. Once you’ve posted that on the web, share it via social media networks.
2. Using social media for promotion. Share offers and news stories associated with your services. You can use Twitter for simple messages such as “I’m offering 10% discount to new customers”, or you can use advanced search features such as hashtags to help people find you.
3. Using social media for feedback. Ask for feedback about your services by posting questions or polls on your social networks. This is a great way to get constructive feedback from potential customers before making changes to your website or marketing strategies.
Final Thoughts
Every business needs a good reputation to succeed. Copywriting and proofreading services are no exception – as more and more writers join the industry, there is an increasing need for companies to stand out from the crowd and attract potential clients with their marketing strategies.
Developing a strong marketing strategy is the key to your copywriting and proofreading service gaining more clients. Whether you are starting your business, or already in the market for customers, you should employ all the smart marketing strategies we have discussed in this guide.